Unlike the majority of celebrities in the audience who danced along to the music of Queen Bey and the Chicks, like Trisha Yearwood and Faith Hill, Chesney remained still and simply watched the performance.
Following the performance, Beyoncé’s fan base, known as the BeyHive, quickly jumped on Chesney, saying he looked unimpressed.
One Beyoncé fan wrote on Twitter, "OK I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw that. Kenny Chesney was not happy about Beyoncé being on that stage. Stay mad. We're taking country too."
Another fan also commented, "Beyoncé needs to not show up to the CMA's anymore. Kenny Chesney is not thrilled at all."
Now Chesney is setting the record straight about the accusations he faced surrounding that performance.
"I loved her Super Bowl performance, (and I love) her sense of how to make the music hit really hard – and give it drama when she’s onstage," Kenny said in a statement, "The idea her fans were so quick to judge me, or know what I was thinking, doesn’t feel like the woman I’ve always imagined Beyoncé to be – and honestly, the people who love her music, either."
Kenny went on to explain that he was more focused on absorbing the once-in-a-lifetime moment and that he didn’t feel the need to move around on the floor.
He said, "As someone who believes in the message of Spread the Love, we try to find the best in people – and in this case, that meant really watching the musicianship on that stage, as well as a guest in our format who’d written an incredible song. I am amazed and saddened this is the response my respect for her art gets."
About the Author